During Monday's WWDC keynote, a small but interesting moment occurred when discussing the iPhone's latest OS update. Formerly called iPhone OS4, Steve Jobs announced an official name switch to "iOS 4."

This isn't surprising, since the iOS covers three devices currently, only one of which is an iPhone. On the other hand, it raises more questions. What other devices will iOS spread to? Apple TV, most likely, and maybe other appliance-like devices.

James Martin/CNET

The other lingering question is this: is iOS slowly but surely sinking its teeth into OS X?

Considering the success of the App Store, it seems like only a matter of time before Apple enables some sort of App Store environment on its Macs. From there, we could end up seeing some sort of parallel evolution for a few years. But maybe--in five years, or even less--we could see Apple's OS X cross paths with iOS into some future OS that's truly cross-compatible.

Maybe that means iOS devices will become a little more open. Maybe that also means Macs will get a little more closed. But something suggests iOS is more than just a mobile platform; we may be watching Apple's next OS emerge right before our eyes.

Considering that many people are already considering buying iPads over standard-OS laptops, that may not be such a crazy idea anymore.

About the author

Scott Stein is a senior editor covering iOS and laptop reviews, mobile computing, video games, and tech culture. He has previously written for both mainstream and technology enthusiast publications including Wired, Esquire.com, Men's Journal, and Maxim, and regularly appears on TV and radio talking tech trends.
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